Hard rain in Hawaii

It rained on the Warriors' practice Wednesday, which was front-page news here.

Then, Thursday defied forcasts of rain with a pretty much perfect day.

Friday dawned nicely, but now a morning shower is coming down pretty good.

The forecast for gameday still calls for at least a chance of rain. And while instinct might say that works against a passing team, coach Tyrone Willingham cautions that in a short-passing game with a lot of outs and slants like Hawaii runs, the defensive back -- who doesn't know the cuts in advance -- might be at more of a disadvantage than the receivers.

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The series: The teams have split two previous meetings. UW won, 53-13, in the 1938 Pineapple Bowl (also called the Poi Bowl). Hawaii won, 10-7, at Husky Stadium in 1973.

What to watch: Washington is expected to go it its running game to try to muscle the Warriors and keep Hawaii's run-and-shoot offense off the field. The Warriors' offense ranks first nationally in scoring, second in pass and third in total yards, while the Huskies defense 94th in scoring, 85th in passing yards and 98th in total yards allowed UW quarterback Colt Brennan needs a big game on national TV for his Heisman push. Aloha Stadium is sold out and is expected to be rocking. The teams have one common opponent: Hawaii beat Boise State, 39-27, last week, while UW beat the Broncos, 24-10, in September. Washington hasn't played a regular season game in December since 1939. It is their first regular season game played after the Apple Cup since 2001 – when they lost at Miami, 65-7.

What's at stake: Hawaii is playing for a perfect regular season and likely qualification for a BCS bowl and all the prestige (and $17 million) that comes with that. UW would like to end its season on a positive note, especially for its seniors. Huskies need a victory to match their win total of last season. QB Jake Locker needs 90 rushing yards for reach 1,000 yards for the season. WR Anthony Russo takes a 36-game reception streak into his final college game.

TNT pick: Hawaii, 47-43. The Huskies have played hard all season, and I think they'll bring it for one more game. I also think the UW running game will work against the Hawaii defense. The problem is that Hawaii passing game against the UW pass defense. That tips me to calling another what-if loss in a season that's been full of them.